Improvement in grain-driers



DOLE & FRASER.

Grain D 'rier.

Patented Sebt. 1, 1863.

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UNITED STATES;

PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN GRAIN-DRIERS;

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 39,722,dated September1, 1863.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. DOLE- and D. It. FRASER, of Ghicago, inthe county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new andImproved Apparatus for Drying Grain; and we do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of thisspecification, in which-- Figure l is a vertical sectional elevation ofmy improved grain-drying apparatus. Fig. 2 is a vertical transversesection through Fig. 1, taken in the plane indicated by the red line0000, marked thereon! Similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in both figures. i

This invention has for its object the drying of grain by means ofartificial heat in a more perfect, rapid, and thorough manner thanhitherto, and by means of an apparatus which 7 is so constructed thatthe grain, in passing through it, or through a portion of it, issubjected to currents of heated air, and at the same time to a stirring,turning, and reciprocating motion, and kept in constant agitation andtransition, as will be hereinafter fully described.

It also has for its object the construction of an apparatus which isadapted to the drying of very moist or only slightly moist grain, theformer of which will require a longer subjec tion to heated air andagitation than the latter,as will be hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, wewill describe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the building in which thegrain-drying apparatus is erected. This building is provided with anair-heatin g apartment, A, containing a suitable furnace or stove forkeep ing up a constant and uniform degree of heat in the drying-chamberduring the drying operation; and, as this apartment A is located at thebottom of the building, and communicates with the interior thereof, theheated air ascends through the dryingchamber and escapes through thechimney A Within the building A are arranged-one below the other-anumber of inclined perforated sheet-metal cylinders, which communicatewith each other at one end of each) by means of spouts B, which conveythe grain from the lower end of one cylinder to the uppermost end of itssucceeding cylinder, through the entire series, whatevernumberofcylinders may be employed. These grain-drying cylinders are mountedupon' axles O O, which pass through their axes, and have their bearingsin the ends of the building A, as shown in Fig. 2, receiving on theirends spur-wheels D D, so that rotary motion communicated to one cylinderwill be transmitted to all the rest. The construction of these cylindersis such that the grain is kept in constant transition, and subjected tothe influence of the heated air which is passing through thedrying-chamber. Not only does the heated air penetrate the outercylinders, E, but it also circulates through the core or interiorcylinder, F, which is made of perforated sheet metal or wire-gauze. Theouter cylinder, E, is somewhat larger than cylinder F, forming betweenthe two cylinders a space which is concentric with the axis of shaft 0.This annular space is provided with two sets of radial flanges, a b,six, or more or less, of each, the former, a, of which are securededgewise along the outside of perforated cylinder F,

r and the latter are secured between the intervals of flanges a lo theouter cylinder, E, or to a ring, 0,,and perforated head 01', asshown inFigs. 1 and 2. The ends of the outer cylinder are left open-one endpartially and the other entirely so--but. the ends of the inner cylinderare covered with perforated plates to prevent any grain from entering,but to al low a free circulation of heated air through them and into theinterior of this inner cylin der. Both cylinders are fixed to and turnwith their shaft 0, and, as the grain is moving toward the lowermostends of these cylinders, they being slightly inclined, as abovedescribed, it is tossed from the inner to the outer cylinders, and fromthe spaces between the flanges of one cylinder to the spaces between theflanges of the other cylinder without being obstructed in its downwardmovement, and while this operation goes on the heated air rising fromthe furnace-chamber A circulates throughout every part of bothcylinders, dries the grain, and carries ofl" the moisture throughchimney A in the top of the building. The large and small cylinders E Fbeingfurnished with the same number of flan ges or buckets a b, thespaces between 'the flanges a are necessarily smaller than the spacesbetween D. This has the effect of compressing or bringing the mass ofgrain into a contracted space and then discharging it into agreatly-enlarged space so that in the latter the grain is spread overthe interior drying surface of the outer cylinder at one instant, andtossed into the contracted space of the inner cylinder the next instant,thus changing from one cylinder to another as it moves downward t)escape into the next lower cylinder, which, being constructed like theone just described, subjects the grain to the same turning, tossing, anddrying operation, and still another and another cylinder may be used andthe grain passed through them, until finally it is discharged from thedrying-chamber through a spout, d. (Shown in Fig. 1.) At the elevatedends of each cylinder the flanges or longitudinal strips I) extend ashort distance beyond the end of the interior cylinder, F,as shown inFig. 1, and are bent so as to form scoops a, which lift the grain fromthe outer cylinder and discharge it into the spaces between the twocylinders, thus commencing operation. The highest ends of the cylindersE E are covered by means of guard-plates G, which prevent the grain fromescaping from these cylinders as it is conveyed from one to the other bymeans of the spouts B above described.

In the accompanying drawings we have represented'two inclined outercylinders only, but in practice it may be found necessary to use quite anumber, all of which will be constructed and arranged substantially asthe two herein described. In these cylinders, represented in Figs. 1and. 2, the grain which is to be dried is put into the hopper g at thetop of the apparatus, and conducted thence into the upper end of thefirst drier, and through this drier into a spout, B, which is providedwith two branches, either of which can be used by adj usting the valveh, Fig. 1. One of these branches, i, communicates with the upper end ofthe lowermost cylinder, while the other, j, conducts the grain out ofthe dr'ying-chamber, and by adjusting the valve h the grain can bedischarged from the apparatus after being subjected to one drying-cylinder. The advantage of this valved double discharging-spout isthat grain which is not very moist, and which requires but littledrying, can be conducted off after the first operation without theunnecessary loss of time of passing it through the entire machine. Ifthree drying-cylinders be used, the middle one may also have a doubledischarging-spout applied to it, which can be used for grain whichrequires to be subjected to theheating infiuencelonger and to be passedbe regulated by having the cylinders of a greater or less length.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

.1. The inner and outer cylinders, E and F, in combination with theradial flanges a and b,arranged within the space between said cylinders,and operating substantially as 'herein described.

2. A drying-cylinder so constructed that while the grain is kept nearits circumference the grain is tossed back and forth outside of thecenter of the machine toward and from the center in a waved line, asindicated by the arrows 2 2, and at the same time subjected to heatedair, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the scoop-extensions a a and flat flanges I) b,the scoop portions working in the chamber between the ends of thecylinders E F, substantially in the manner and for the purposedescribed.

' W. H. DOLE.

D. P... FRASER.

Witnesses:

A. D. STURTEVANT, It. Sco'r'r.

